by Vella Day
Great. “Go ahead.”
Greer started with Nessa’s shoulder. Heat poured into the sore area and nearly burned her. Soon, however, the ache dissipated and Nessa finally relaxed. Just as her sister ran her palms over her ribcage, Nessa opened her eyes.
“What’s wrong?” Greer asked. “Did I hurt you?”
The odd sensations pouring through her body were anything but painful. In fact, they were highly pleasant. Truth: they were downright erotic. “No.”
Shouts sounded down the hallway, and Greer glanced at the doorway. “Sounds like Birk has his hands full.”
“Do you know who it is?” Nessa asked, her blood zinging through her body too fast.
“Probably someone who shouldn’t be here. Don’t worry; Birk will take care of whoever it is. You need to rest,” her sister said, wagging a finger at her.
While it was true Nessa wasn’t fully healed, a different kind of energy charged through her. “I need to see who it is.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know; I just do.”
Greer held up a hand. “You stay seated. Let me check it out.” Just as Greer opened the door, her father rushed down the hallway. His footsteps halted, and a second later, he stepped into the room.
“Nessa? You’re up! How are you feeling?” He cupped her face and leaned over, his gaze checking her out from head to toe.
“Better. Greer did her magic on me.”
More shouts came from down the hallway—mostly angry ones.
“Give me a second,” her father said. “I see our resident mining inspector is at it again.”
Her heart thumped. So that was what the ruckus was about. “Is he going to close us down?” Nessa could barely say those words.
Odd as it was, she’d never met the man who held such power. The head of the Mining Consortium was new in town, having taken over for old man Dougherty a year and half ago. After the first incident at the mine, in which her foreman had been killed, she’d only spoken with Kyle Harper’s second in command, Dennis Taylor. Nessa had been so devastated and angry at the time that she’d nearly torn the poor man in two. Her father decided the Consortium should deal with him.
“I imagine he will ask us to close the mine, but I’m going to agree with him, at least short term,” her father said. “We need to find out who is responsible. I couldn’t live with myself if you had died, or if you are injured again.”
She appreciated his sentiment, but Nessa didn’t agree. “Closing the mine, no matter for how short a time, will have dire consequences on our production. We have clients to serve. Promise him we’ll beef up security or something.”
Her father rubbed her arm. “You heal and leave the running of the mine to me.”
Before she could argue, her father took off. While she couldn’t hear the conversation at the end of the hall, it wasn’t long before her father returned—with the mining inspector in tow.
Once the inspector stepped into the tiny room, blind lust shook Nessa so hard she couldn’t fathom what was happening to her body. Heat swamped her lower half, and even her nipples hardened. Okay, that was wrong on so many levels. This had to be an aftereffect from Greer’s treatment. The alternative was unacceptable.
Mate, mate, her dragon chanted.
No way! Sure, this man had as many muscles as a dragon shifter and was nearly as tall as one, but he was human. Not that her family over the ages hadn’t mated with his kind, but he was the mine’s archenemy, and therefore her enemy.
She had to look away or chance embarrassing herself, but even then she failed to gain much composure. Her heart refused to calm.
“Nessa, I’m glad to see you’re okay,” the man said as he held out his hand. “I’m Kyle Harper, the head of the Mining Consortium.”
“I know who you are.” She pretended as if she was too weak to shake his hand.
“I don’t know how it is we haven’t met before, but I’d really like to ask you some questions if you’re up for it.”
Nessa finally dragged her gaze back to him. Whoa. His eyes mesmerized her. They were a deep blue, the color of the ocean on a clear day. But it was the flecks of green and brown that drew her in.
“Nessa?” her father asked. “Are you okay?”
Heat raced up her face. “Yes.”
No, she wasn’t okay. Kyle’s presence jumbled her thoughts. Needing him to leave, she rubbed her head and moaned slightly. “I mean not really. Even after I’m healed, I don’t know how I can be of any help. I don’t remember much. One minute I was headed to the elevator and the next, I was under a ton of rocks and dirt.”
He shot his gaze between her and her dad. “Just so you understand, by law I have to shut down the mine until this is resolved, so whether you talk or not won’t affect my decision.”
Nessa’s anger spiked at what he was implying, and her energy tripled. She jumped up from her seat and was in this man’s face in a second. “That’s not fair.” She poked his chest. “We need the mine to stay up and running. You have no right—”
“Nessa,” her father said in that stern voice she recognized very well.
She spun to face him. “What? You know we weren’t negligent. This was sabotage.”
“I know,” her dad said in the softest voice she’d ever heard him utter.
Harper didn’t seem upset by her outburst. Calm bastard. “Nessa, can you at least tell me who you suspect sabotaged the mine?” Kyle asked. “I’ll make sure he is included in the investigation.”
“That’s easy. It had to be the Royals.”
His eyes widened. “You think our government is responsible for this? What evidence do you have?”
She had none, and that was the problem. “They kidnapped my cousin a while ago. After she escaped, they came after her again, and in the process Prince Rathan was killed in battle. Now they want to take it out on us.”
Kyle seemed to think about this. “I was aware he had died, but not the circumstances. If they are out for revenge, why not sabotage the Sinclair’s mine instead of yours?”
Those lips. They moved in such a sensual way that she had the urge to kiss him right then. Nothing like this had ever happened to her, and she didn’t like it one bit. His soft confident words soothed her soul and scrambled her mind at the same time.
Before she could answer, her father stepped between them and faced her. “He’s right, you know.”
Her senses returned. “No, he’s not. Why are you taking his side? We have to think about the men who work here. They have families to feed.” Even to her own ears, she sounded a bit irrational.
“You know as well as I do that insurance will pay their wages,” her father said. “I’m sure once Mr. Harper learns who is guilty, he’ll reopen our mine.” Her dad rubbed her arm. “Honey, we can weather the loss of revenue for a few weeks. Don’t worry. Please.”
Kyle nodded. “Thank you, Mr. Caspian, for being so open minded. Like I mentioned before, the more you cooperate, the faster we can resolve this.”
Despite her dad’s warning, Nessa spun to face Kyle again. “Fast you say? Neither you nor the police have learned who killed my second-in-command, and that accident happened a month ago. And don’t try to tell me Wendan was careless. He wasn’t. He knew as much about explosives as I do.”
The outburst weakened her, but Nessa was not going to be deterred. No one, no matter how sexy he might be, was going to claim her family had been at fault. Not that he’d come out and accused them or anything, but he must be thinking it.
Kyle held up his hands. “Hey, I’m on your side. My men have been investigating non-stop since that particular incident occurred. We too think he was targeted.”
His words softened her, but she wouldn’t relent. Nessa crossed her arms. “What have you found?”
“Not much, but that doesn’t mean we won’t keep looking.”
“Someone tampered with those explosives between the time I looked at them and when Wendan got them.”
Kyle pulled out a sma
ll tablet from his jacket pocket. “Do you suspect the Royals of that crime too?”
She skewed her lips to the side, mostly in disgust of her own attitude. “I don’t know. That incident happened before my cousin was kidnapped.”
“Nessa, you need to rest,” her father said. He turned to Kyle. “Maybe this isn’t the best time. I’m sure my daughter will be more cooperative after a good night’s sleep.”
From the way his chest rose and fell, he was debating how to handle her. Kyle faced her father. “I’ll return tomorrow then. A representative from the insurance company will probably want to speak with her too.” He faced Nessa. “Or should I tell her that you won’t be filing a claim?”
Was he kidding? “Of course I will. Even if I weren’t a Caspian, I know what happened was out of our control.”
“Let’s hope you’re right.” Kyle spun on his heels and left.
As soon as his footsteps disappeared down the hall, she faced her dad. “Can he really shut us down without cause?”
Her father clasped her shoulders. “Yes, he can. We need to find the culprit. Mr. Harper reminded us that we might not be safe against more attacks.”
“You also told me he said we might have been negligent on the first two cases.”
Her father nodded. “Might have been. He’s leaning more toward sabotage now. Who is responsible though, I don’t know.”
“I told you the Royals are. They don’t care if they hurt us or the Sinclairs. To them, we’re the same.”
“I wish we could prove that.”
“Me too, Dad.”
Chapter Four
Between Greer’s magic hands and Nessa’s dragon’s healing powers, the ache in her chest was gone by morning, and her legs had totally healed. As much as Nessa had wanted to return to her apartment last night, her father had been against it. Greer suggested Nessa stay with her for the next few days, and she had reluctantly agreed. As fun as it was to catch up with her sister, Nessa was too independent to have someone watch her all the time.
Once Greer went into work, Nessa headed to the mine. Needing to discuss a few things with her father, she knocked on his office door and stepped inside.
He looked up from his large wood desk and smiled. “Hey, sweetheart.” He came around his desk and gave her a hug. “How are you feeling?”
“I feel great, which is what I want to talk to you about.” She sat in the chair facing him while her dad leaned a hip on the edge of his desk.
“What’s up?”
“As nice as it was to stay with Greer last night, I’d feel more comfortable in my own apartment.” Nessa didn’t need his permission, but ever since Kyle Harper appeared in her life, she doubted her ability to think clearly.
“I’m surprised you’d want to stay alone. You’re the one who said the explosion was sabotage. Since they failed to kill you, they might try again.”
“If someone is targeting me, I want whoever it is to try again. It might be the only way we can capture him.”
Her father slipped off the desk and looked down at her with the most soulful eyes. He leaned over and rubbed his hands down her arms. “My brave Nessa. When will you realize you don’t have to carry the weight of the realm on your shoulders?”
“I’m not.” Not much anyway. “I need to find out if anyone knows anything about the explosion. Someone must have seen or heard something, even if they don’t realize it.”
Her father straightened. “Nessa, do not get involved. Not only is it dangerous, the investigation is a job for the police and the Mining Consortium.”
She had no intention of sitting on the sideline while others tried to do what she was perfectly capable of figuring out for herself. “Sure.” Not.
“Good.”
Oh, shit. “With everything that happened, I forgot to tell you that I found a vein of gold so big it will rock all of Tarradon—no pun intended.”
He scowled. “That’s wonderful, but I’ve decided we’re not going down there again. It’s too dangerous.”
That was the last reaction she expected. “Are you kidding me? The find could be worth millions. We could buy more land with that money. I also know you’ve wanted to reforest the ten thousand acres to the west of us.”
“That mine is bad luck, and you know perfectly well we can afford to reforest the land without any gold mine. I just need some time to get to it.”
He’d never believed in back luck before—or good luck for that matter. Once this mess was cleared up, he’d change his mind. “After we find the culprit, we’ll talk.”
“There is no we about it. Someone else will investigate. I need you to stay safe. I want to be able to sleep at night.” He squatted in front of her and clasped her hands in his big ones. “You gave us a huge scare, sweetheart.” His words were thick with emotion. “Your mother and I don’t want to go through that again. Ever.”
She blew out a breath. “I admit I was scared a few times, but it wasn’t like I was helpless.”
“I know.” Her dad stood and returned to his corner of the desk. It was as if he needed a moment to think. “Look, if you feel compelled to do something with your time, how about checking out the rest of the mines in the next few days? No one will be working them, and it will give you an opportunity to run safety checks. You’ve been asking for time to do that for a while.”
Her mind wasn’t on that work now, but if she told him she had no intention of letting the incompetent Mining Consortium handle things, he’d probably ask Birk to stay by her side. “Great idea, Dad. I’ll do that.”
As much as she trusted a few of the men in the Avondale Provincial Police—specifically her detective cousin, Anderson Caspian—an insider like herself would have a better chance of learning the truth.
She’d almost made it out of his office when her father called to her. “Don’t forget that Kyle Harper is not the enemy. He didn’t set the charge that nearly killed you. He wants to find the answers as much as we do.”
She highly doubted that. The Mining Consortium was created and basically run by the Royals. The man would be biased. After all, if he found his employers guilty, he’d lose his job. “I know.”
Nessa headed out, but she didn’t go to the other mines like her dad had suggested. Instead, she wanted to check out the collapsed mine herself, if for no other reason than for closure. She was the demolition expert. If anyone could locate where the charges had been set, it would be her.
Wanting to test whether her wings had healed enough, she shifted and was pleased that she was able to soar upward. The first few wing flaps were painful, but the joy from the rush of the wind across her snout was worth the small ache. She was alive, and that was all that mattered—that and finding the bastard who’d done this to her family.
When the gold mine—as she liked to call it—came into sight, she landed. The moment she shifted back into her human form, waves of lust hit her a second before she spotted Kyle Harper.
Damn it. Why would Fate pair the two of them? Kyle Harper didn’t even like her kind. He might say sabotage was involved, but she could see it in his eyes that he wanted her family to be guilty.
Seduce him and then we’ll find out if he wants us, her dragon chimed in.
That wasn’t going to happen. Nessa wasn’t up for the rejection. It didn’t matter that she found him hot. Hell, it was hard enough to keep her libido in check just being around him let alone if she flirted with him.
Kyle must have sensed her presence because just then he turned around and strode toward her. Was that a hint of a smile? Probably not. Most likely he’d tell her to leave—that this was his investigation. He dragged what she would call an appreciative glance up and down her entire body, and heat swamped her.
“Nessa, you’re looking better.”
“I’m feeling better too.” If she had any idea that Kyle would be at the site, she wouldn’t have come. On the other hand, if they were destined for each other, she didn’t want to start off on the wrong foot, so she painted on a
smile. “How can I help you?”
He cocked a brow and then relaxed. “How about telling me what happened down in the mine?”
That was a reasonable request. Once she explained the series of events, he’d see that she’d done nothing wrong. “Several days ago, after the tunnel was complete, the men installed the mine elevator. It was tested and proven to be safe so I figured it was time to go down and have a look.”
“If it was so safe, why not ask others to go with you?”
She appreciated that his tone wasn’t accusatory. “All of the walls hadn’t been tested for stability. Besides, I didn’t need help to look for veins of metal.”
He nodded. “Go on.”
“Once I checked out the area to my satisfaction, I headed back to the elevator to return to the surface. I was maybe fifteen feet from the cage door when the world caved in on me. My dragon shifted to protect me from the blast, but even so, I was thrown against the wall.” One of her biggest regrets was that the sample she’d been carrying had been lost.
His brows pinched, and his lips thinned. Hell, he acted as if he cared. “I can’t believe you survived. I’m guessing the explosives must have been planted fairly close to the surface or you would have been buried alive.”
She had basically been buried. It surprised and slightly delighted her that they were on the same page. “I was thinking that too.”
Kyle stepped closer, and her brain short-circuited for a moment. His beautiful eyes turned a darker shade of blue, and his nostrils flared. If she didn’t know better, she’d say he was checking her out and finding her acceptable.
Mate, mate, her dragon chimed in.
Not now.
“Did you notice any kind of tripwire that would have caused the charge to go off?” he asked. She shook her head. “Did you have any cameras installed to monitor the mine’s building process? Maybe they caught someone on tape.”
A trickle of embarrassment seeped in. “I wish. The cameras were scheduled to be installed after I made my initial assessment of the mine’s viability. Once we begin any operation, we keep the area well lit and the cameras running all the time. Since this was not a functioning mine yet, those safeguards were not in place.”